TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Where to stay - Simpson Bay area?

Looking for opinions on either Simpson Bay Beach Resort or The Atrium for a 1 week stay. I have an email into BSV as this is where we have stayed in the past, but nothing back from them as of yet?? We did stay at the Royal Islander this past November when BSV was fully booked but looking for something on Simpson Bay. If you have other suggestions, please let me know.

I am partial to The Horny Toad Guest House. RIGHT on the Bay. Gated parking. Wonderful hosts. Large rooms but a small property - only 8 rooms - four up and four down.

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When will you be going? I waited a long time for an answer from BSV only to have Tracy tell me she only had partial days and I didn't want to move. I was looking for any dates in March 2026 and she said it was already booked.

I just got back from a stay on the island, and I agree that there are advantages to staying in the Simpson Bay area. I spent a couple nights at Atrium, then a week at Hilton Royal Palm (with a group), followed by several solo nights at a villa on the French side.

IMO, Atrium is a great value. It's not expensive - it's a mid-range resort with a great beachfront location. The rooms and decor are dated, and the facilities are (sometimes) in need of repair. I'll likely go back for a return stay, but then again, I'm (usually) a solo traveler, and I don't need 5* accommodations. I'm more a "Hampton Inn guy," as opposed to "JW Marriott or Westin guy" (hope that analogy makes sense).

Royal Palm is the finest resort I have stayed at on the island. I was impressed with the attention to cleanliness. During the day, there are a dozen or more people working on repair and upkeep of the resort. The staff is attentive and friendly. During our stay, there were plenty of lounges available, both sunny and shaded. Also, the pool is heated (and not just by the people sitting at the swim-up bar). It ain't cheap, but you get whatcha pay for.

Regarding SBR, I went for a walk that went through the pool area. It looked very nice to me, with similar attention to the facilities that I saw at RP. I've never stayed there, so others would be more qualified to weigh in further.

Flamingo is the sister resort to Royal Palm with the same attention to detail. Never have a problem getting beach or pool loungers anytime during the day. Security is pretty quick to plice the loungers so they aren't taken for hours before used and making sure only Resort guests can use the pool or beach amenities.

We are looking for the first week this November and another week for March 2026. So I guess you have answered my inquiry for the March dates and will look at other properties. BSV has become very popular over the years and it is our first choice. Thank you for your reply.

Thank you for this great information. I will take a look at Royal Palm.

From what you are stating is your first choice, I would also consider Linda's suggestion on Horny Toad, we also really like it there. One of the advantages of BSV is that you don't have the Simpson Bay traffic coming home from the beach, Horny Toad is a bit better than Atrium or others in that area as you don't have to cross the bridge. Other places you should consider would be in the Cupecoy area, Mullet and Cupecoy close by and easy access to the French side beaches. Early November you should be able to find some great deals on VRBO or other rental sites being off season. March, tougher.

You should be hearing from Tracy soon!!!

Mika why not try BSV for November since March is a wash then another of the places mentioned here for March?

RonDon... Yes, I will try for BSV for November and look at other options for March. I hope Tracy gets back to me soon so I can get things lined up.

As with Linda, The Horny Toad is my personal favorite but understand, it is only 8 units, and March may already be booked. My second choice would be Royal Palm or Atrium. Early Nov. should still have off-season rates but not so much March. I have never stayed at BSV and they have a very loyal following but communication when it comes to reservations does seem to lag at times.

Good luck.

Mika--Yes, BSV has become very popular. They have raised their rates, as I guess everywhere has, but still sometimes hard to get in. I would try again for November. I note that Horny Toad is also a lot more expensive than it was a few years ago. I personally would have two problems with HT--one, no pool, and two, the last I knew, the TV situation was very sketchy.

I've stayed at the Atrium a couple of times, and it is extremely convenient for walking distance to a lot of restaurants. Unfortunately the beach there is Kim Sha. I personally would not swim the water there--or at Royal Palm either--due to the sailboats in the bay there. I've also stayed at Royal Palm several times and really like it. As far as the beach at RP, they have a very large area of sand, with lots of shade palapas, which is what I like. I actually rarely get in the ocean anymore, and shade is much more important to me. They do have a nice pool there, although perhaps a little small, for the size of the resort. It used to be that the restaurant at RP was TERRIBLE, but I hear that it is much improved. The rooms at RP ALL have a full ocean view and a balcony on that side of the room. That is very important to me, an ocean view.

I've only stayed at Flamingo one time, short stay, nothing to really make a good judgment. Flamingo has a good beach and a couple different pools, but many of the rooms don't have ocean view. Same is true with regard to Simpson Bay Resort. Many of the rooms do not have an ocean view, or only a partial ocean view. For walkability to various restaurants, Royal Palm and Atrium are by far the best.

Best wishes!!

Thanks Carol for your information and thoughts. We were at BSV in late April of 2024 and when I inquired for March 2025 they only had 1 villa left. The big issue we have when we go to BSV is we rent 3 villas with 3 different families in each. We have kids that are in high school now and are not wanting to pull them out of school so we now look for the dreaded week of March break. We have been doing this for many years and our weeks were much more flexible but I must say when I only need 1 villa and we travel just the two of us in November it is a lot less hassle with finding a place to stay! We did stay at the Royal Islander this past November but BSV is where we like to be for the comforts that we have come to love - beach, pool, staff and the villa.

Our November trip will only be the two of us and hope BSV has a villa available, but the March 2026 week we will require three rooms and becomes a touch harder to find. They do have rooms available at the Atrium and a few other locations along there but you talking about Kim Sha beach...I am not so sure that I would like to be swimming there either. We do love to be in the ocean so I will continue my search. Thanks again for your reply!

OK, finding places for three families is a lot bigger deal. Best wishes!

Damning with faint praise. TVs are standard in all the end units. You can request a TV if in a non-end room.

I just find it weird that a vacation rental does not come with TV's standard. Plus, the last I knew, it didn't work very well.

I have zero complaints with the way the TV works.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned La Vista. It's conveniently located on Billy Folly Road, and smaller and more Caribbean than the big resorts. The beach there isn't really swimmable, but we go to the other beaches on the island pretty much every day, so that doesn't matter to us. Finding accommodations for three families might be difficult there, but it's certainly worth trying.